Nobody Said It Would Be This Hard
by theintangiblefriends
Summary: Inspired by Coldplay's song "The Scientist" As always, Hey Arnold! and all of it's characters are owned and created by Viacom and Craig Bartlett


Miriam glanced up briefly at the sound of the now very familiar young man letting himself into the entryway of her home.  
He caught her eye, and absently said, "Hi, Miriam."  
"She's up in her room," said the woman with concern, knowing that the way her seventeen year old daughter had come storming into the house, running up the stairs, and releasing out an angry, exasperated yell while slamming her door had everything to do with why Arnold was now here.  
Arnold, however, already making his way up to Helga's room, barely even heard Miriam's last statement.  
He opened Helga's bedroom door without knocking.  
Helga had been furiously writing at her desk when she suddenly turned at the sound of her door being opened.  
"Get the FUCK out!" she yelled.  
Taking in her tear-stained distraught expression, Arnold felt pain piercing his heart.  
"I'm sorry," he said.  
"I said GET OUT!" Helga nearly screamed, fresh tears now streaming down her lovely face.  
Arnold approached her quickly. Just as she stood to attempt to throw a notebook at him, he grabbed her firmly, but gently by the wrist.  
She broke. She just crumpled onto the floor and began sobbing into her hands. Arnold knelt by her as broken-hearted as she, and attempted to take her into his arms.  
"Don't touch me!" she said passionately.  
"Helga..."  
"No!" the destroyed looking young woman said though more quietly this time. "I don't ever want you to touch me again. I don't ever want to see you-"  
"Stop," Arnold cut her off gently, "We need to talk about this."  
Acid sarcasm now replaced Helga's desperation as she said, "What more could you possibly want from me. You know everything about me. I can't think of a single question you would need to ask me."  
Ignoring her remarks, Arnold was quiet for a moment then said "We need to go to the beginning."  
Helga laughed angrily and said, "It _started_ when you said you're _leaving_ again." fresh tears beginning to overflow her eyes once again.  
"No," said Arnold, "I mean we need to go all the way back. Back to who we are together and what that means and how I need you and how you love me."  
Although she had been trying to hold it back, a sob escaped Helga's throat. Arnold reached out again from where he was sitting on the floor next to her and pulled her into his embrace.  
And she relinquished. She fell into him whispering weakly, "I hate you."  
Arnold buried his face into her hair.  
"You love me," he said simply.  
They just sat together like that for some time as Helga's crying subsided and Arnold continued to kiss the top of her head and stroke her hair cascading down her back.  
"Helga," he finally broke the silence, though an occasional heavy, shaky breath could still be heard from his girlfriend, "this isn't easy for me either. But I have no choice. I _have_ to leave again. But I _know_ you know it won't be forever. I'll always come back to you."  
"Arnold," Helga said brokenly, "you promised you would never leave me again. Why do you have to go? I don't know if I can handle you leaving me again."  
"I know it makes no sense to you. That's why I said we should think about the very beginning. Because even if you can't understand, and you can't accept my explanations right now, your heart still knows that we are meant to be together. That someday, somehow we _will_ be, no matter if we have to be apart right now. Because our heart's will always be haunted by each other until we are finally together again. Because I can't live without you, Helga."  
Helga finally lifted her blood-shot eyes to Arnold's, her eyes only made more blue by the red that contrasted them. And as she clung to him, with a trembling breath she exhaled, "Why does loving you have to be so hard, Arnold?"  
Tears Arnold had been holding back the entire time finally fell freely as he held her tightly and rocked her in his arms.


End file.
